Baseball - Softball Score Keeping Device

ABSTRACT

A baseball-softball score keeping device comprising of a housing component consisting of a front face and a rear face. The housing component fits comfortably in a person&#39;s hand. The display area has six windows having corresponding function labels. The function labels relate to the game of baseball and softball. Six wheels that extend out from the sides of the housing unit correspond to the six windows. The wheels comprise of a front face, rear face and a side wall. The side wall is knurled. The front face of the wheels have a series of escalating numbers related to the corresponding label windows, each wheel can be rotated within the six openings by the surrounding side wall of the housing. Each number can be individually viewed through the windows. The six indicator wheels are manually rotated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an umpire indicator and a sportsscorekeeping device allowing spectators attending a baseball or softballgame to keep track of the score, the innings and the number of outs perinnings throughout the length of the game.

The use of the score keeping device is known in the prior art. Umpireindicators are used by umpires of baseball and softball games toaccurately record the outs, innings and scores of the game being played.This is important to the flow of the game and enforcements of the gamerules.

While the umpire indicator fulfills its objective and requirements ofthe game being played, it does not allow for people attending a baseballor softball game to keep track of the innings, outs or the score duringthe game.

While the score keeping device fulfills its objective and requirementsof the game being played, it does not allow for people attending abaseball or softball game to keep track of the score if the home orvisitor teams score greater than 10 runs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The games of baseball and softball are governed by strict rules of thegame. Generally umpires and coaches are concerned with strikes, balls,outs, number of innings played, and the score of the home and visitorteams. Fans of the game do not have any apparatus to keep track of outs,innings and the score. (Fans generally do not need to keep track of thepitch by pitch number of balls and strikes per batter.) This causes thefan to constantly ask the umpires and coaches questions about what thescore is, how many outs, and what the inning is. As such, one objectiveof the present invention will provide a baseball and softball scorekeeping device that will allow up to 49 runs to be for each team. Asecond objective of the present invention is to provide ease of holdingsaid device. An umpire indicator is widely known by umpires, coaches,players and spectators alike. The present invention maintains the sameshape but slightly larger than the commonly known umpire indicator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a frontal perspective view of the device.

FIG. 2 depicts a left side view of the device.

FIG. 3 depicts a right side view of the device.

FIG. 4 depicts an overhead view of the device.

FIG. 5 depicts a view of the device with the front face removed.

FIG. 6 depicts a view of the metal plate with the fingers needed forkeeping the wheel at the number, and not allow the wheel to go backwards

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings, in particular to FIGS. 1-6, a completeunderstanding of this invention can be gained, and the embodiment of thepresent invention will be described.

FIGS. 1-4 depict the first embodiment of the invention from all fourperspective views. The devise generally comprises of a housing unit (1)possessing a front face (2), and a rear cover (3), and a sidewall (4),and six wheels (5), (6) and (7).

FIG. 1 depicts the front face (2) which comprises of 6 windows (8). Thesix windows have corresponding function labels (9). The function labelsinclude a score for the home team, a score for the visitor team, thenumber of innings and the number of outs.

FIGS. 2 and 3 depict the side walls of the device. The sidewall (4) hassix openings of which the wheels (5), (6) and (7) protrude out of. Thesides of the wheels are knurled (10). This knurled edge (10) allows foreasy manual rotation of the wheels (5), (6) and (7).

FIG. 5 depicts the six wheels (5), (6) and (7) as placed onto the rearcover (4). The amount of numbers on the wheel corresponds with thefunction labels (9). Wheel 5 has the range of 0 to 9, wheel 6 has therange of 0 to 4 and wheel 7 has the range of 0 to 3.

FIG. 6 depicts the metal plate (10) as placed into the rear cover (4)and the indents (11) on the reverse side of the wheels (5),(6) and (7).The fingers (12) on the metal plate correspond to indents in the back ofthe wheel (11). When turning the wheels, the finger (12) slides into theindent on the back of the wheel, stopping the wheel on the number calledfor. This finger also stops the wheel from going backwards.

1. The ornamental design for a hand held baseball and softball scorekeeping device. The device is intended to be used by spectators of thebaseball or softball game to keep track of the runs scored by the homeand away (visitors) teams, the innings played, and the outs accumulatedduring the inning.
 2. The score keeping device comprises of: a housingcomponent comprising of front face and a rear face; a display arealocated on the front face comprising of an outs indicator, an inningsindicator, two indicators for the home team score, of which oneindicator is for the tens place, and the other for the ones place, twoindicators for the visitor team score, of which one indicator is for thetens place, and the other for the ones place; and the control means ofchanging each indicator.
 3. The score keeping device as set forth inclaim 1 wherein the housing component fits comfortably in a person'shand.
 4. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 1 wherein thefront face has six (6) windows having corresponding function labels,said function labels relating to the game of baseball and softball. Thefunction labels include a home team score, a visitor's team score, thenumber of outs per inning, and the number of innings.
 5. The scorekeeping device as set forth in claim 3 wherein six (6) wheelscorresponding to home and visitor score, number of innings and number ofouts per inning. The six wheels comprising of a front face, rear face,and a side wall, with the side wall being knurled. The front face of thewheels have a series of escalating numbers related to the correspondinglabel windows, each wheel can be rotated within the six openings by thesurrounding side wall of the housing. The rear face of the wheels isindented behind each number.
 6. The score keeping device as set forth inclaim 4 wherein the home team wheel indicator corresponding to tensplace indicate 0-4 places, the wheel indicator corresponding to onesplace indicate 0-9 places, thereby allowing the home team score toindicate up to forty nine (49) runs.
 7. The score keeping device as setforth in claim 4 wherein the visitor team wheel indicator correspondingto tens place indicate 0-4 places, the wheel indicator corresponding toones place indicate 0-9 places, thereby allowing the visitor team scoreto indicate up to forty nine (49) runs.
 8. The score keeping device asset forth in claim 4 wherein the six (6) indicator wheels are manuallyrotated.
 9. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 4 wherein thesix (6) indicator wheels are stopped on a number with the use of a metalplate with fingers that correspond with the numbers and indented area onthe back of the wheel.